JAKARTA, Jul 12 (NNN-ANTARA) – The death toll from the sinking of a passenger ship in Bali Strait, rose to 17 yesterday, as search teams shifted their focus to the possibility of accessing the sunken vessel.
At a virtual joint press conference, Ribut Eko Suyanto, deputy for search and rescue operations at the National Search and Rescue Agency, confirmed, two more bodies were recovered yesterday.
“The joint rescue team discovered two bodies, and we have evacuated them,” he said, adding that, both victims had been transported to a hospital for identification.
Suyanto noted that, the search was now focusing on the southern part of the strait, following reports from local fishermen, who found several objects believed to be parts of the wrecked ship.
Meanwhile, Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), said that, strong underwater currents in the strait posed significant challenges. However, the KNKT was working to deploy a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to investigate the condition of the wreck.
“We will do our best to deploy the ROV. Once we know the condition of the vessel, whether it is upright, tilted, or resting on the seabed, we will then determine if divers can safely access it,” he said.
The vessel, carrying 65 people, sank on Jul 2, with 30 of them survived.– NNN-ANTARA
